Gyan Vapi ("knowledge pool"). The only remaining element of the ancient Vishvanath temple in Benares is a well.
The temple was one of the most revered Hindu locations in
ancient India, and its name relates to the deity Shiva in his incarnation as
Vishvanath, "Lord of the Universe." In 1669, the Moghul emperor
Aurangzeb's forces demolished the temple and replaced it with a mosque.
Although the demolition of the temple is often depicted as
an act of Muslim iconoclasm, according to Gyan Vapi's narrative, Aurangzeb may
have meant it as a political message to punish local opposition.
The figure of Shiva as Vishvanath was thrown into the well
to safeguard it from sacrilege, according to local mythology, and it remains
there to this day.
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